Govt succumbs to political pressure, spares bigwigs

The government has stopped its demolition drive in Friends Enclave at Humhama to spare bigwigs including politicians and top level bureaucrats.
Official sources said the demolition drive was stopped under pressure of politicians and bureaucrats, who have encroached upon the State land inside Friends Enclave at Humhama, a residential colony outside Srinagar Airport.
They said among the encroachers were top politicians, bureaucrats and police officers.
Two days before completing its tenure, the previous government had started a demolition drive on the residences of some bigwigs including former minister Peerzada Sayeed, former bureaucrat and now politician Farooq Renzu, a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a top level bureaucrat in the Friends Enclave.
The government had also removed the gate and board of the graveyard at the Friends Enclave in Humhama.
The demolition drive had been supervised by then Deputy Commissioner Budgam, Manzoor Ahmad Lone and then Senior Superintendent of Police Budgam, Muhammad Irshad Hussain.
The sources said due to the clout of the politicians and the bureaucrats, who had encroached on the government land, both Lone and Hussain had now been given punishment postings.
They said a top level bureaucrat had encroached upon 2 kanal and 14 malras, Farooq Renzu had encroached upon 2 kanal and 10 malras while the former minister Peerzada Sayeed had encroached upon 12 malras of State land.
The sources said the top level bureaucrat’s brother-in-law had also encroached upon the State land in Friends Enclave.
They said the top level officer had first encroached upon 14 malras of State land and built a house over it and later built two temporary tin sheds outside his house.
“He later converted the temporary tin sheds into prefabricated sheds and finally built huts over the 2 kanal of State land outside his residence,” the sources said.
A high level police officer said there was a dispute between revenue ministry and the top-level bureaucrat over the encroaching of State land.
He said that the police had found that the land belonged to the revenue department and the top-level officer had encroached on it.
Talking to Rising Kashmir, Divisional Commissioner Rohit Kansal said there was no pressure on him neither had he pressurized anyone.
“The previous DC was transferred and I hope the new DC would soon restart the demolition drive on illegal constructions,” he said.